Banish
by VTL
Summary: (The First Part of the Trilogy) The tale of Celine using Skies of Arcadia characaters and characters from the Crimson Shadow Series by RA Salvatore.


Banish character cameos include: Vyse, Diago, Domingo, and Ramirez from Skies of Arcadia and Luthien, Ethan, and Gharis from RA Salvatore's the Crimson Shadow Series. This is the first part of the trilogy. The next part is called The Quest and should be posted already. Please read this in its entirety and comment if you would be so kind. It took me over a year to get this done.  
The night was a chilly one, in mid-fall of September, a typical autumn night. You could barely see any of the stars, guardians of the night, in Dun Varna. Dun Varna, a good-sized town, full of merchant shops and people, on the Isle of Bedwydrin, to the Northwest of the coast of Eriador, a grand island.  
  
In Dun Varna, there was a magnificent castle, belonging to the Bedwyrs, the Earl of Bedwydrin, Gharis, and his wife, Nazzara. They kept things up adequately, but this night was the most stressful for the Bedwyrs, for Nazzara was preparing to bring her first child into the world.  
  
Nazzara lay in bed, servant-maids and nurses all around her with tubs of warm water and towels, ready for her to give birth to her child. She moaned at the pain, but she knew in the end, it was all worth it.  
  
Gharis impatiently paced back and forth in front of his wife's birthing chambers. He was a proud man, tall and strong, with broad shoulders. He usually wore a robe around the castle-he had many different ones, for each season. Today his choice was blue, to match the September stone's coloration. He ran his hands through his dark blonde hair frantically, wishing the night would hurry.  
  
His wife was an intelligent and bashful woman, slender and beautiful with dark, black hair, black as a raven in snow, which she frequently kept braided to keep out of her face. She had emerald-green eyes, superior to any jewel. On the other hand, Gharis had cinnamon-colored eyes with tan colored hair that was starting to turn to gray.  
  
Many people of Dun Varna had heard of the pregnancy and were waiting outside the castle walls. Almost everyone loved the king and queen, especially Nazzara, because she was very kind indeed.  
  
A scream of pain.  
  
Gharis nearly jumped out of his skin. He bit his lip until he could feel the blood swimming in his mouth. He ran into the room, wanting to check on his wife.  
  
People were running all over the elaborately decorated room. Silken tapestries hung all over, depicting stories and stunning images. The Emperor of Bedwydrin made his way to his exhausted wife. She was jovial, cradling a bundle, wrapped in a deep blue blanket, against her chest. He smiled, sitting down in a chair next to her bed. Nazzara's dark hair was wet and stuck against her forehead with sweat. She had just started to breathe normally again. Gharis rubbed Nazzara's forehead. "Can I?" he asked, wanting to hold his first-born child.  
  
"Yes, but be careful," she said wearily, carefully handing Gharis the child. He held it close to his own chest and slowly rocked it. "It's a girl, dear husband. Her name is Celine. Look at her," Nazzara continued.  
  
Gharis carefully moved the blanket away from the newborn Celine's face and looked amazed at the child. Never in his life had he seen anything like it. The child looked up and giggled, seeing her father for the first time.  
  
Her hair was a light-blondish color, but what amazed Gharis was that she had cat ears and a cat tail, which was hidden in the blanket which held her. Her eyes were a bluish-purple color and would eternally stay that way. "How, I mean, the cat ears?" Gharis asked his wife.  
  
"A sign from the gods. Her eyes are most enchanting, don't you think?" Nazzara asked, a beautiful smile gracing her face.  
  
"Yes, her eyes, they are. She's beautiful." Gharis held the child up next to her mother's face. "She resembles you in the face."  
  
"With our luck, she'll have your strong will and determination," Nazzara laughed.  
  
"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Gharis teased. He motioned for a guard in the hallway to come to him. The guard gingerly walked over to the proud new father.  
  
"Sir?" asked the tall and rugged guard, young and with jet-black hair.  
  
"You shall be her guardian from this day forth, when we are not able to be with her. You are my most trusted knight, Marlee DuCamin; I trust my judgment will not fail me. For now though, send word to the township notifying them of my babe Celine," Gharis ordered.  
  
"I gladly accept the order to be her keeper. I shall right away deliver the news of her birth." Marlee dismissed himself by putting a fist to his chest and bowing in front of the king; he was off to follow his orders.  
  
"Well princess Celine of Bedwydrin, welcome to the world," Nazzara said proudly.  
  
Five years passed and the princess grew up to have a strong will and much strength of mind, just as her mother said she would. Celine's blonde locks had turned a deadly white, with strands of silver intertwined. Even though she was so young, only four, she was still beautiful to everyone who she saw in the castle; she was never let out of the castle grounds. She was still enchanting with her blue-violet eyes. Whenever the young cat princess was not with her parents, she would be with her guard Marlee. They played together and Marlee even taught her a smidgen of swordplay. Marlee was young himself, in his early twenties now, but he considered Celine his daughter. But this year's spring, just only some days away, would bring about another child from Nazzara.  
  
The day arrived for the new child to be born. Once again Nazzara was in pain, lying in the bed of the birthing room. This time, Gharis stood beside his wife, helping her and encouraging her. Celine wanted to be in the room with her mother, to see what was going on, she was such an anxious little girl, but she stayed with her guardian Marlee, holding his hand tightly, outside of the door of the birthing room.  
  
"Marlee, was it like this when I was born, huh?" Celine asked. She sat in his lap looking up at him with her big, curious eyes.  
  
"It was much more stressful on your father. Must you be reminded, you were the first-born. Now they have a little more experience about how this goes. Everything will be fine, love, don't worry," he replied with a smile, patting Celine on her head. They waited, both waiting to see if it would be a girl or a boy.  
  
A cry of joyous agony.  
  
"Momma! They are hurting her Marlee, let's get them. No one hurts my momma and gets away with it!" Celine jumped up and drew her child's sword.  
  
Marlee smiled and grabbed the cat girl's hand, holding her back from barging in on her mother. "No little missy. They are not hurting your mother."  
  
"Then, why did she scream?"  
  
"That was a good scream. Uh, you see, when you mother has a child, it's a little painful, but all the pain goes away after she's through."  
  
"Oh, I guess that's ok. Pick me up!" Celine demanded playfully, putting her sword away and raising her arms to him, ready for lift off.  
  
Eventually, Gharis walked out of the room smiling, carrying yet another bundle wrapped in a dark green blanket this time. "Celine, meet your new brother, Ethan."  
  
Celine jumped out of Marlee's arms and ran up to her father. "A brother, wow! Can I see him?" she asked, excited to see her new sibling.  
  
Gharis bent down low and unwrapped Ethan a bit. He had blonde hair; his eyes were a cinnamon color, just like his father's.  
  
"Hi there Ethan. Welcome to the family," Celine said; she gently rubbed Ethan's tiny hand. She was very mature for her age, and intelligent. She read lots of books on her own, and Marlee even read her some. But she knew nothing of childbirth, she just knew that she was going to have a little brother or sister-but she was still so happy.  
  
"Would you like to see your mother?" Gharis asked Celine.  
  
Celine's eyes sparkled like amethyst jewels in the sun. "Yeah! Bye Marlee." She hugged Marlee and ran into the room to her mother.  
  
Gharis looked at Marlee. "Would you please notify the townspeople of Ethan's birth?" Gharis asked, cradling Ethan.  
  
"You know I will sir," Marlee replied smiling. He took a peek at the baby boy and dismissed himself, once again putting his fist to his chest and bowing before the king. He walked off and did as he was ordered.  
  
Celine ran to her mother and hugged her. "I'm so happy momma. I have someone to take care of now," she said.  
  
Nazzara returned the cuddle with all of her strength. "I am happy too. He's going to really look up to you one day, so be a good sister and role model. It is a big responsibility."  
  
"I can handle it momma, no problem. If someone tries to hurt my baby brother, I'll slice and dice them easy," Celine expressed with great self- confidence.  
  
Nazzara laughed. She knew she had a good daughter that she was proud of, no matter what she looked like, and that was the way it should be.  
  
When the young prince Ethan got older, the two siblings would play together. Marlee would still keep an attentive eye on the two, but since Celine was eight and Ethan was three, he did not watch them like they were infants. Princess Celine would read stories to young Prince Ethan, just as Marlee did to her, and she would teach him. They would explore the castle grounds all the way out to the castle walls.  
  
One calm night, when Ethan was four years of age, he and Celine, now nine, decided to explore the second floor of the castle where all of the fancy parties were held. The first floor was the where all of the bedrooms and main rooms were. This was not an unusual thing for the two, but usually they had to sneak up there unless invited, because this was where their father also did confidential business. Every once in a while they would even get dressed up and go to a party. Rarely were there any young children their age there, so they got bored and simply left.  
  
Tonight the children danced bare footed, since they rarely ever wore shoes, to the music of their own minds and imagination on the empty marble floor in the main ballroom, lit by candles. The candle keeper would not be on the floor for a while, so they were free to do as they wished.  
  
Ethan decided that he wanted to show off to his older sister so he glanced around to double-check that Marlee was not to be seen. Celine felt Ethan was her responsibility to take care of, so she had told Marlee earlier that day that she would watch him tonight.  
  
Ethan glanced to the balcony on the left side of the ballroom that over- looked Dun Varna and which happened to be right above his very own room. He walked over and took in the night view, lights twinkling in the town, stars shining above the young one. Neither of them was allowed out off the castle grounds, even now, so the balconies were the only way for them to view the city.  
  
"What are you doing?" Celine asked, pausing from her dancing to go behind Ethan.  
  
"You'll see!" he replied, carefully climbing the rail of the balcony.  
  
"Ethan, I don't think you should be doing that. You don't have the balance of a cat like I do," Celine said worriedly, ears lowered, tail twitching.  
  
"Oh really?" he countered; her words had unintentionally urged the stubborn child on. "Don't worry sis, I can do anything." He continued to walk on the railing.  
  
"Ok smarty, but if you happen to fall, I ain't catching you," she said with her arms crossed.  
  
Ethan laughed confidently. He was not afraid of anything even at his young age. He started to walk on the railing back and forth, smiling all the while. His ego was growing.  
  
Suddenly, a cold wind blew about the balcony and Ethan lost his balance. The young prince almost caught his balance, but he scraped his bare foot against the railing and fell.  
  
"Ethan!" Celine cried as she ran and jumped off the balcony, instinctively after her brother. She had no idea as she was falling down what she was going to do. She figured if they are going to die, they are going to do it together. When Celine finally reached her brother in mid-air, she grabbed him and held him securely to her chest. They were petrified, thinking that they were going to depart this life.  
  
Not a second later, white, glittery, angelic wings ripped through Celine's skin and shirt from her back. She meowed in the surprising pain. Ethan held on for dear life, fear silencing the young lad. "Don't worry. I have you now," Celine said gently as the wings started to flap and they were floating still in the air. Celine flew Ethan into his room through the window, below the balcony from which he fell, and placed him carefully on the bed.  
  
"Why do you have wings now? How come I don't have them? I was the one in danger?" Ethan questioned, a bit jealous of her new acquisition.  
  
Just as shocked as little Ethan was, Celine started to respond. "I really don't know. All I do know is that I am grateful for them. I guess maybe it's something to go along with my cat features, and you don't have those either."  
  
"I know what you're trying to say. If you didn't have them, I'd be splattered!" He paused. "I thought you said you weren't going to catch me?"  
  
"I lied."  
  
Ethan bent down to his scraped and bleeding foot. "It hurts!" he cried.  
  
Celine smiled warmly and ran to Ethan's bathroom, got a clean rag, and ran it through some cold water. She rushed back to her brother and soothingly rubbed the wound with the cloth, trying to cleanse it from infection. Tears ran down Ethan's face, but he did not whine; he was a tough lad. "Do you need me to go get mother so she can kiss it and make it better?" Celine asked, knowing a mother's kiss could make anything feel better.  
  
"Are you crazy? She'll find out what happened. See if you can make it better!" Ethan demanded, being stubborn.  
  
Celine looked strangely at Ethan. "I don't think it will work."  
  
"TRY!!"  
  
"Ok, ok!" Celine caved in, bending to her brother's foot and gently kissed it. "See, I told you nothing would-"  
  
To the sibling's amazement, the wound started to heal, right before their eyes. Ethan smiled when the wound finished healing. "See Cel, told ya. Big sister kisses work good too!"  
  
"Well, I guess I have healing type powers as well, but how?" Celine asked, very confused from the whole situation. "I am not sure about what to do with these wings though."  
  
"You're the Angel now," Ethan said, hugging Celine tightly. Celine's glittery angel wings wrapped around the boy. Ethan quickly plucked one of the angel feathers and Celine jerked away.  
  
"Ow! What was that?" she cried as he stuffed the stolen feather into a back pocket in his pants.  
  
"Maybe your wings are just.adjusting or something?" Ethan suggested.  
  
"Let's see. I don't need these wings at the moment, so let me try to make them go away," Celine declared. The cat girl concentrated on the wings retracting into her body and before long they did as she wished, without pain. "Weird."  
  
The two had many more adventures until the next year when the third and last child was born to the Bedwyrs. The newborn was a boy, Luthien, and had the same exact features of Ethan. Celine and Ethan went to their mother's side as soon as they were able to enter the birthing room.  
  
Celine studied baby Luthien. One question plagued her: "Father, why am I the only child to have these funny ears and a tail?"  
  
Gharis' face went grim as he looked to his curious daughter. He turned to Nazzara, his eyes asking her for the answer. He knew this question would eventually pop up, but he could never be able to explain it. Nazzara smiled at Celine. "We considered you a gift from the gods, that is why you look so different."  
  
"Yep! She sure is a special sis!" Ethan chimed in.  
  
"Thanks Ethan," Celine showed her appreciation as she put her arm around Ethan's neck, giving him a rough rub on the head with her free hand.  
  
"You two need to go to sleep. It is getting pretty late. Unlike your births, little Luthien here was born at nighttime, and I think we are all exhausted," Gharis stated turning quickly to the ever-present Marlee. "Marlee, take these two to bed. We will notify the people in the morning of the birth."  
  
Marlee wearily strolled over to Celine, grabbing her hand. "Daddy, can Ethan sleep in my room? Please?" Celine begged innocently.  
  
Gharis could not disregard Celine's charming and innocent eyes. "I suppose it's all right, but if you two are caught up wandering around about the castle, you will be punished."  
  
The children nodded their heads in agreement and they followed Marlee to Celine's room. As they reached the door, Marlee stopped. "You get to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, I am sure young princess and prince."  
  
The youngsters walked into the large room filled with books and stuffed animals. Celine had an over-sized bed with many colorful pillows-dark greens, blues, purples, and pinks. She loved to sit in a nest of all her pillows and read. The princess learned many things from the books in her room, spells and glamours mostly. "Would you like me to read you a story?" Celine asked Ethan, walking over to a desk below a window. The light from the moon that entered the room caught the strands of silver in Celine's hair and now she really looked like an angel.  
  
Ethan crawled into her bed, grabbing one of Celine's stuffed toys. "Ok. But pick out a good one, not a girly love story."  
  
Celine stuck her tongue out at him and gently picked up a thick fairy tale book, full of dozens of stories. Nazzara had given Celine the book not long after she was born. Nazzara always read the stories to Celine when she had the time. Celine smiled at the book; it brought back good memories. She walked over to the bed and sat down daintily. Ethan scooted close to his older sister so he could see the pictures in the book. Celine flipped through the pages to find the right story. The book was not that old, but Celine had worn it down looking through it so much. She particularly liked the stories about magical faeries.  
  
Celine read Ethan a story and by the time she was finished, the young Ethan was asleep. "Good night. You are a very special brother too," Celine whispered and kissed him on the forehead.  
  
The next morning, the young cat princess woke up bright and early, before her brother. She carefully snuk out of the bed and ran to the nursery, previously used for Celine and Ethan, now occupied by Luthien.  
  
Celine quietly opened the door and crept in. "Unusual, no nurses around." she mumbled to herself. She peered over the rim of the crib and smiled at the youngest child. "Hey there little one," she said calmly. "I can sense one day you will be a great warrior."  
  
The baby's eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the lack of light. Luthien reached up and pulled Celine's long, white hair. "Ow! You want to play, huh?" The feline girl ran her fingertips over the baby's sides and his lower back. He giggled. "That's what I like to see, a smile."  
  
Marlee walked into the room. "Thought you'd be here."  
  
Celine quickly turned around, startled at how quietly the black-haired guard had snuk up on her. "Your father requests the family together in the courtyard for a picture. He wants to remember the moment now." The guard walked over and picked Luthien up in his blanket. Celine, only coming up to Marlee's waist, looked up curiously.  
  
"Where's Ethan?"  
  
"He is already in the courtyard. Now follow me," Marlee demanded, heading out of the room. Celine ran up to him and took his unoccupied hand.  
  
Marlee was very young and had no lover, so he had no children of his own. He accepted Celine as his own and she accepted him as a stepfather. That was how close the two had grown together since her birth. They walked hand- in-hand to the courtyard.  
  
"Cel!" Ethan ran to his feline sister. "I woke up and you were gone!"  
  
"I just went to check on Luthien."  
  
"All of you need to pose so my magic can take your picture," demanded the wizard photographer. He was how things were remembered. People would pay a great deal of money to wizards to have time frozen and that picture from time ripped so that the picture can be taken to the payers. They actually got a piece of time.  
  
Nazzara sat on a stone bench and Celine jumped in her lap. "I want to hold Luthien!" Celine exclaimed. Marlee glanced to Nazzara. Nazzara nodded her head in allowance and Marlee carefully placed Luthien in Celine's arms.  
  
Ethan jumped on the stone bench next to his mother and put his arms on Celine's shoulder. Gharis stood up proudly behind his wife, gently placing his strong hands on his wife's delicate shoulders.  
  
This would be the last time the whole family would be together.  
  
All this while, another guard roamed the castle, his name was Veni. He was very physically powerful, violent, and harsh and much more hateful than the other guards. He often spent his days off at the local tavern, drinking and sleeping with whatever female that happened to walk by. Veni was not worthy to be the leader of Gharis' army. He always was dark and dismal, always trying to get Gharis Bedwyr in trouble.  
  
Veni glared jealously at Marlee and the Bedwyrs. He should be the most trusted guard, not some stupid, young punk that did not even know what he is doing. He was so very jealous of the king and wanted to destroy him and his family.  
  
Nearly a month later, Veni, broad-shouldered, dark-haired, and pale, was in a local tavern, eyeing the many commoners that filled the place. Maybe he could find a wench to sleep with to get all his dirty pleasures out.  
  
"What do you think of the children of Gharis?" a mysterious man asked Veni. He was tall and lanky. He had not shaved in over a week by the looks of it. His clothing was all grayish and black. Disgusting and dirty he looked.  
  
Veni looked strangely at the darkly dressed man. Veni himself was a rebellious man and could tell the man sitting next to him was as well. "I don't think that daughter is even worthy to be a slave in the castle. At least the sons are normal and they can be warriors. What good is a daughter for? Especially a freak of nature like that."  
  
"I have a plan to get rid of Gharis," The mystery man revealed. "But I will need your assistance, since you can speak directly with the king."  
  
"I do not give my assistance to persons in whom I do not know their names," Veni smirked, gulping down yet another jug of ale.  
  
"My name, eh? Rue. Now I have a plan as I have already stated."  
  
"All right. I'm in. Explain this so great plan of yours."  
  
"Well, there are more than a dozen opposers of Gharis, some in high places like yourself. We stay in a colony not too far from here. If we get rid of Gharis' children, we can break him down. He loves his children and if you take that away, he'll be crushed.and weak. Do you understand?" Rue asked. "We can gather and rally more opposers in that time you take to make him get rid of the children, and then eventually attack when he is weakened."  
  
"Sounds promising.yes, very well. We'll start with the freakish child. She should be easy. Somehow, I'll manipulate his mind against her," Veni proceeded to scheme.  
  
"Wise you are. Keep in touch with us. We shall find you if you need us." Rue walked out of the tavern.  
  
Over the next month, Veni had almost completely manipulated Gharis' mind. One day, Veni approached the king. "Sir, not to be out of line, by why do you keep that devilish cat-daemon of yours? You've always trusted my judgment. That is why I am the army leader. Get rid of her evil Sir!"  
  
"But she is my daughter!" Gharis argued.  
  
Celine had not been able to sleep like she was told to earlier that day, so she had gotten up to wander her home once again. She went to the meeting room on the second floor and her cat ears heard a commotion and eagerly, she stopped to listen, not knowing her young heart was about to be crushed.  
  
"Do not deny that you've thought she was bad luck! I can see deep in your soul that you agree that you want to get rid of that child, now is your chance!" Veni continued.  
  
Marlee could not take it. He could not listen to the conversation any longer. He was standing in the corner. Since he was her guardian, he had the right to be there. "Sir! She has not done a thing to harm anyone. What purpose would she have to harm someone?" he argued, standing up for his unofficial stepdaughter.  
  
"Silence!" Veni shouted at Marlee, fists prepared to punch the young guard.  
  
Gharis was deep in thought for a moment. He was broken, tired of arguing. He thought following Veni's orders would be better for the kingdom. "Fine. Marlee, you'll leave her in the market place in the morning. On your way inform the guards that I ordered that she never be let in the castle again. Now how to explain this to my wife."  
  
"Well done Sir," Veni rejoiced, his plan had worked. He walked out of the room, not even noticing the little Celine as she stood there in shock.  
  
Banishment.devilish cat-daemon.she did not know what to think. Celine ran into the main living room, grabbed the family photo taken only months earlier, and removed it from its frame. She darted back to her room and put the photo in a small backpack she had. The young cat princess glanced to her desk and retrieved the jeweled sword Marlee had given her.  
  
Marlee gave the sword to her when she was seven. It was made out of the strongest metal on the Isle of Bedwydrin at the time and had three jewels on it. Her birthstone was in the middle, the largest jewel on the sword. The other two jewels on the crosspiece were the birthstones of her brothers. Even though the sword was given to her before Luthien was born, Marlee had it taken to a blacksmith and he put the birthstone of Luthien into the sword's crosspiece. At the end of the engraved handle, there was a diamond.  
  
Celine grabbed her backpack and carrying her bejeweled sword, ran to Ethan's room. Quickly, she shut the door and ran to Ethan, waking him up immediately when she reached the bed. "Ethan, there is something I have to tell you. You must be strong! Swear to me!"  
  
Ethan wiped the sleep from his five-year-old eyes. "Yes, what is it?"  
  
"I will be taken away tomorrow morning."  
  
"No, you must be joking, and it isn't funny!"  
  
"I heard it from the man who I used to call father. Veni has convinced him to do so. I suppose he's been at it for a while now, trying to get rid of me that is."  
  
"It can not be true! Why?" Ethan yelled, tears streaming down his red-with- anger cheeks.  
  
"They say I was bad luck, a daemon. Marlee will come for me in the morning. That is why I am in commoners clothing." Celine opened her vest to reveal an inexpensive white blouse and cross-stitched black pants. Plain, brown leather boots protected her feet. Tears brimmed her eyes. "You must be strong." She paused. "I want you to have my sword always to remember me by." Celine handed Ethan the sword. "Call it The Banisher."  
  
Ethan took the sword and threw it down on the bed. "I don't want it! It's not true! I can't believe it!"  
  
"You must. Let's go see Luthien one last time together, even though he is still too young to understand."  
  
Ethan nodded and they walked slowly to the nursery. Entering, Ethan checked for guards and nurses. Again, there were none. They ran up to Luthien's crib and Celine gently held Luthien's tiny hand. She smiled. "He's ticklish on his lower back and on his sides too."  
  
A small blue light came from Celine's hand and made Luthien's whole body glow. "What did you do?" Ethan demanded to know.  
  
"I placed a spell on him, for protection and guidance, since I have nothing else to give him," Celine explained. She looked deeply at her youngest brother, whom would never know her. Celine would not be able to protect him and play with him as she did with Ethan. "I love you Luthien, even though you will never be familiar with me," Celine said as she pressed two of her fingers to her lips and gently pressed them to Luthien's forehead.  
  
"Let's go back to my room. Sleep in my room with me tonight please," Ethan requested.  
  
Once the two reached Ethan's chamber, Ethan slowly sat down on his bed. "So this is it?" The tears were at their breaking point.  
  
"I suppose so. Our last night together." Celine sat down next to him. "When I am gone, be a warrior, and be to Luthien as I was to you. Promise me!" she commanded.  
  
"I promise," Ethan agreed. He laid down and his sister curled up next to him. They met eyes. Even though Ethan was too young to understand love completely, Celine kissed him softly on the lips.  
  
"I will always love you and be with you there." She pointed to his heart.  
  
"Yeah. I'll always remember you, no matter what father does," Ethan declared.  
  
The two eventually fell to sleep on that final night together.  
  
In the morning, as planned, Marlee came in to get Celine. He dreaded doing this, ever since he was informed to do so. It was as if he was banishing his own daughter. He knew that she would survive on her own though, she had a strong will and he had taught her to fight well.  
  
Marlee woke up the sleeping ten-year-old cat girl. "Come, we are going to the market," he said sadly. Celine knew this was it. The last time she would see her family. She let Ethan sleep, knowing it would be easier for him that way.  
  
As the two walked out of the castle silently, Celine's gloved hands in Marlee's one hand, she saw her father and made eye contact with him. Gharis quickly turned his back to the presumed devil cat-daemon. She saw Veni too. He was smiling; the first step in his plan had gone through perfectly, without a scratch.  
  
The market was bustling with business this morning. More than likely it was because it was a Monday, all new shipments and imports come in on Mondays, and that day was always busy.  
  
Celine looked around; this would be her new home, she knew. She had never been off the castle grounds. Gharis always said she was not old enough. Celine could sense the sadness that embraced Marlee. If she could only soothe him as he did for her so many times. She just clenched his hand even tighter.  
  
They made their way to the center of the market, the section of the market that had the most people and where they could easily get separated. Marlee stopped and release Celine's young hand.  
  
Celine sensed something lurking in the shadows, ever since she placed her small feet on the cobblestones in the marketplace.  
  
"I'm going to purchase some items." Marlee walked off sternly without looking back; he did not want to lie to her and say he would be back.  
  
"Bye Marlee!" Celine yelled, then she quietly said: "Don't let this get you down. I'll find you again one day."  
  
A shadow followed Marlee that day; a cloud of sadness, Celine could see it. She brushed her white hair out of her face. The young one turned around from where she stood and eyed her surroundings. There were clothing stores, food and weapon stores, and other shops that carried miscellaneous items. Too bad she did not have any money. Gharis had never given her any because it was not necessary, since she could not go off the castle grounds. Celine figured she would have to steal whatever she needed. Quickly she reminded herself of her powers. Maybe she could eventually use the spells and glamours that she had learned from the books she had read.  
  
Celine made her way to a fountain in the northeastern part of the marketplace and sat down. Everywhere she looked, she saw visions of Ethan, Luthien, and Marlee. She forced herself to realize that they were just visions. She could not understand why Gharis had banished her-she never showed her powers to anyone other than Ethan. Was Veni's opinion really that particular to him? She wondered if Ethan had awakened yet. She looked in the water of the fountain, gracefully flowing from the howling wolf's mouth. A ripple was created from a single tear she shed for her brothers and Marlee. "I wonder what mother will think."  
  
A hand gripped her shoulder. Celine jumped up and drew out her gloved fists.  
  
"Whoa lady! I ain't gonna hurt ya. Were you abandoned too?" It was a young boy with a scratchy voice, about the same age as her. He had green, spiky hair, with a ponytail in the back. He wore a black vest and black leather boots, much like Celine's. His pants were actually cut-off shorts in a grayish color.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?" Celine backed up to a shadowy part of the wall, but he still walked closer to her.  
  
"The name's Vice, you know, like dice with a 'V'?" He blocked her from moving by placing his hands against the wall on each side of her head. "I've had an eye on ya since your father brought ya here."  
  
"You were that presence I felt?"  
  
"I guess so." Vice smiled.  
  
"By the way, that wasn't my father, he was my guard."  
  
"Oh." Vice looked Celine up and down carefully. "I've never seen a cat person before." He glanced at her twitching tail and her laid back ears. "Ya hungry?"  
  
Celine nodded her head yes. They did not offer a last meal at the castle.  
  
"I ain't got much, but it'll buy ya something to eat. Come on." He held out his hand; his nails were painted blue. He had a warming smile. Celine grabbed his hand.  
  
The two children walked to an outdoor food stand and Vice ordered Celine a sandwich and a drink. As they waited they looked around in silence. Celine did not know really of what to say and neither did Vice.  
  
A little dark-haired boy brought Celine her sandwich, a ham sandwich which happened to be her favorite, and her drink. Celine stared at the little boy. He looked to be about eight maybe. He was cute to her and her eyes were sparkling. Vice looked at the boy and smiled. "That's Domingo. His parents own this place. One day he might even take it over."  
  
"Oh really? That seems like it might be fun. Nice to meet you Domingo." Celine smiled.  
  
"The same goes for me, but I kind of want to be a treasure hunter though sometime in my life. I guess every boy does." Domingo said, kicking one foot against the other in nervousness.  
  
"Well, one day you'll seize your dream. Just don't loose hope, ok sweetie?" Celine smiled. Do not loose hope she repeated in her mind.  
  
Vice stopped smiling and looked at the boy with a glare. Domingo did not notice though; he was in a conversation with Celine. No one really talked to him that much and acted as if they cared. "Celine, here, give me your hand," Vice requested.  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"I want to show you something. Please?" he begged.  
  
"Ok. Well, nice meeting you Domingo. I'll come back here whenever I can and talk to you ok?" she said.  
  
Vice winced at the thought. He had no problems with the kid, but Celine was his new friend. He wanted to be there first. "C'mon, C'mon! Hurry!" Vice urged.  
  
He led her to a gigantic oak tree and Celine just stared at it in awe. She felt so small compared to it. "This tree has been here almost as long as this city has. The second king planted the tiny seed here and now it's grown to be so big!" Vice explained.  
  
"That's really interesting," Celine agreed.  
  
They sat at the bottom of the immense oak tree and Celine ate since Vice had pulled her out of the restaurant before she got a chance to.  
  
"Thanks for the food Vice," Celine said with a smile when she finished.  
  
"No problem," Vice replied. He stopped. "I know a place where you can stay. It's full of other orphans. We are called the Orphans for obvious reasons. I'm the oldest, ten."  
  
"I'm ten too! My father banished me because he thought I was a devil cat- daemon."  
  
"Why that? How could an innocent little girly cat like yourself be that bad?"  
  
Celine growled. She did not like being called girly. "I am not girly! I have been trained at swordplay and various other warrior's training. I was the only child of three to have these cat features. If I didn't look like this, I'd still be with my family probably."  
  
"Don't put yourself down baby, you were given those features for a reason. Besides, I kinda like 'em. Makes you unique." Vice flicked her cat ear with his fingers and she flinched.  
  
They laughed. "Maybe." Celine's bluish-purple eyes met his hazel eyes.  
  
Vice got up real close to Celine's face and she did not have any room to back away. "You got hypnotizing eyes, ya know that? Never seen that color before either."  
  
Celine blinked, stood up, and stretched her arms forward. She gently scratched behind her left ear to relive an itch. Finally, she placed her arms across her chest and tapped her foot on the ground. "So where's this orphan head quarters you were speaking of?"  
  
"You gonna stay?"  
  
"I suppose I could try it."  
  
"Great!" Vice hugged her. Celine did not know how to react. She allowed him to embrace her, knowing she might not ever feel another's touch. Vice backed up after a moment. "I'm sorry. I, uh, am just happy to have a new person in the group."  
  
"That's ok. I don't mind. Let's get to the Orphans!" she demanded, her fist high in the air.  
  
"That's the spirit!" Vice jumped and grabbed her raised hand. They weaved and ran their way through the crowd to an alleyway.  
  
"Aren't you afraid someone will locate your head quarters and exterminate you?" Celine asked.  
  
"That's a risk we have to take. It's not like we can protect it with magic. We're just ordinary humans," Vice answered, lifting a stone slab off the ground.  
  
"Well, I'm no ordinary human, as you can tell. I do have magic power; I can protect it with my magic," Celine suggested. "But everyone will have to get a special mark, a branding is proffered, so the magic can sense the key, which is the mark. It should open then."  
  
"Ok. Let's go," Vice said and they jumped down into a large hole under the slab. Celine put a spell on it as she grabbed it on the way down, protecting her new home from intruders.  
  
The Orphan's head quarters were underground. Celine felt a hand grab hers. "I'll guide you," Vice soothed her, knowing Celine was probably a bit nervous.  
  
The two orphans walked a lengthy distance in the dark until they came to a door. On each side of the door hung a torch. Vice pushed open the door and they walked in, Vice leading Celine.  
  
Everything in the head quarters got deadly quiet as they entered.  
  
"Who's sheeee?" a young girl, about the age of five, with short, curly, red hair asked.  
  
"Everyone, your attention please," Vice said, but he already had the attention of every person in the underground lair. "This is our new leader. I openly gave my position to her."  
  
"What? Me, a leader?!" Celine questioned, shocked at the promotion.  
  
"Pretty lady, what's your name?" the curly, redheaded girl asked, freckles brimmed her rosy cheeks.  
  
"My name." Celine glanced down at the smooth, dirt floor. "I have no name. Not anymore." If Gharis did not want her as his daughter, then she damn well was not going to keep the name he gave her.  
  
Vice stepped up to Celine and put his arm on her shoulder. "Well, this is Vixen now. Show Vix to her new leader's room, Marcell," Vice requested.  
  
"Ok," the little redheaded girl replied, taking Celine, from now on referred to as Vixen, to a room just to the right of the main room they were in.  
  
The room looked as if it was the best built room. It had a large bed, a vanity with a mirror, a dresser, and a trunk at the end of the bed.  
  
Vixen stripped to nudity as Marcell watched in admiration. Marcell felt only a bit awkward watching Vixen, but Vixen did not seem to mind much.  
  
Vixen cut the white blouse so that when tied in the back, it would make an 'X' over her chest. She tossed her vest to Marcell. "You can have it. It might be a bit big now, but you'll grow into it."  
  
"Thank you!" Marcell exclaimed as she put on the vest. As Vixen had just said, it was a little big.  
  
Vixen continued to cut the legs off her pants this time. She figured she would be more agile in shorts with slit sides than tight pants that barely let her move. She tore two strips from the trimmings of the pants and set them aside. She glanced at the mirror once more, then she started cutting her white hair so that its new length would end at her shoulders; she parted it once she was finished. Vixen then took the two pieces and tied the ends she had parted to make two ponytails at the top of her head. Now with her hairstyle, she looked innocent, yet with her clothing, she seemed a bit vicious. "There, perfect!" Vixen approved of herself and her doings. "Oh yeah!" She remembered her gloves and took them off. After she did so, she took her scissors and cut the tips of the fingers off, so that they now came up to her knuckles. "Now it's perfect. I wonder what Vice will think."  
  
Marcell pulled on Vixen's tail. "Fuzzy!" She smiled. "I like fuzzies!"  
  
Vixen looked at Marcell and smiled. "Let's go show Vice."  
  
Vixen slowly eased out of her chambers with Marcell. Vice saw her instantly, almost as if he had been searching for her, waiting, and he ran up to her. "Wow!"  
  
"Do you like?" Vixen asked nervously.  
  
"I do. Now you look even more like a leader."  
  
"I must speak with you in private, Vice." The cat girl walked back into her chamber and he followed uneasily. He got nervous because he was afraid of what she might say or do. She sat on her bed and Vice sat next to her. "About this branding, I figured out what the symbol shall be." She found a few scraps of metal, possibly from old wire decorations or coins, and held them out in her hand. The metal started to glow white and melt together, right there in front of the two. It molded itself to what the cat girl was thinking of, a weird, yet identifiable symbol. "It spells my name. The letters are sort of stacked on top of each other. When applied to the flesh, it will brand, with out heat and pain. Well, it may sting for a few seconds, but it's a whole lot better than normal metal brandings. If you try to brand someone who's already been branded by this symbol, it won't do anything," Vixen explained, showing Vice the metallic symbol. "I'll brand you first, then you brand me. After that, I shall do the rest. Where do you want it?"  
  
Vice looked anxiously at the cat girl leader, at her most enchanting, hypnotizing eyes. "On my right arm." He put his arm out towards her slowly, not really wanting to get it because of the risk of pain.  
  
"Hold my other hand and squeeze it when it hurts, Vice. I'll always be here for you, since you were there for me. Hold still," Vixen requested.  
  
Vice tightly held her hand as the glowing metal piece touched his skin. He bit his tongue and Vixen could see the pain. She removed the brand and was proud to see the perfect, yet bizarre symbol.  
  
"Why." Vice started to ask, but stopped as he released her hand.  
  
"Brand me on my inner thigh please." Vix pulled up her shorts just enough to where he could gently place the piece on her skin.  
  
"Hold my hand when it hurts. You must trust me a lot to let me do this," he expressed.  
  
"I do. I feel that I can trust you. Just press the brand into my skin for five seconds and then quickly remove it," Vixen ordered, gripping Vice's hand.  
  
Vice gently pressed the brand into her skin for five seconds as ordered and then pulled it away. "There."  
  
The two comrades did not know of the special magic that secretly branded the two at that exact moment in time.  
  
After Vixen had finished branding and meeting all the rest of the Orphans, she lay down on her bed, completely exhausted and tired, and fell to sleep. She had an eventful day: being banished, and becoming a leader. But more importantly, becoming a friend to her rescuer.  
  
Late the next morning, Vixen awoke and stretched, small claws coming out of her fingertips. The youngster sprawled in the bed, glanced around, trying to remember where she was. She ran her fingers through her short hair and remembered. Stomach growling, she got up with weak legs and walked into the main room, eager for something, anything, to eat for breakfast.  
  
The main room was warm and comforting, and Vixen was glad she came with Vice. She noticed him at the table and sat down next to him. Even though she had met all of the kids there, she still did not truly know any of them yet.  
  
Across from Vixen sat a younger girl with short, black hair and brown eyes. She looked to be about eight and an half because she was about six inches shorter than Vixen when she sat down. The black-haired girl was straight as a board, unlike Vixen; even with the youngness of Vixen's age, curves in places were visible. The mystery girl wore a ragged and torn blouse that seemed to come down to the ground that hid the shorts underneath. She had a distinguishing scar above her left eye.  
  
"Hello." Vix smiled at the girl across from her. The girl remained silent and Vixen grabbed an apple from the basket of fruit on the table. Vice sensed some sort of tension between the two girls, so he excused himself politely.  
  
Vixen kept her eyes on the girl across from her. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Vixen took a bite of the red, shiny apple in her little hand.  
  
The black-haired girl across from Vixen sighed and shook her head. She wanted to talk to someone, but she was afraid. Since she was talking to Vixen, the leader, she might as well give it a whirl. "My name is Nesta. I just got here a few minutes ago. I think that Vice guy was talking about something called a branding that I need to get done. After that, I'll talk."  
  
"No wonder you didn't look familiar. We'll go to my room for your privacy," Vixen replied. The two emerged from the table and walked to the leader's chambers.  
  
Vixen grabbed the metal brander from the vanity as they entered the room. "Where do you want it?" The symbol floated and glowed the eerie white in Vixen's hand.  
  
"On my left foot." Nesta took off her old boot and stuck out her foot. Vixen placed the metal piece on Nesta's foot for five seconds and then removed the brander.  
  
"There you go. Now you're a part of us, a part of our family," the cat girl said, replacing the symbol on the vanity for future use.  
  
"Thank you." Nesta put her boot back on. She rubbed her scar with a crazed look in her eyes. She at last broke down to Vixen about how she got the scar. She informed Vixen that her own mother had given it to her, when she was trying to slit her throat. Nesta had avoided the dagger that came at her by ducking, but she got nicked right above her left eye, leaving a scar behind. That was a week ago, when she had decided to run away from her mother, the only family the girl ever had.  
  
Vixen put her arms around Nesta and tried to comfort the poor girl. Nesta cried on Vixen. She was never able to confide in anyone but this strange cat girl she only knew for minutes, if that. "Are you ok now?" Vixen asked.  
  
Nesta looked at Vixen with watery eyes and nodded her head yes. She sat back on the bed and wiped her eyes. "I've gotta go now. Thanks," Nesta replied.  
  
"I am glad you told me," Vixen agreed, smiling.  
  
Nesta bowed and exited the room. Vixen looked out of the room after Nesta had gone and spied Marcell. "Hey Marcell, can you send Vice here for me please? I need to have a word with him."  
  
Marcell saluted Vixen army-like and ran off, on her mission to retrieve Vice. She looked so adorable with the oversized vest on.  
  
The cat girl retreated to her bed and stared up at the ceiling.  
  
There was a knock at the door.  
  
Vice creaked the door open and strolled in, running his boyish fingers through his spiky hair. "Hi." The green-haired boy rested himself on the bed next to Vixen.  
  
"How do you get money to support all of these children?" Vixen asked, thinking about preparing for the future.  
  
"We usually steal food and supplies I hate to say. We sometimes find money on the ground, but that rarely happens and we save the money for emergency reasons only. We rarely pickpocket, and if we do, it's only from the rich who have no clue of the value of money. They just see it as paper or metal to be thrown around."  
  
"Well, instead of instead of stealing, we can get our money and stuff fairly."  
  
"How do you suppose we do that?" Vice asked, crossing his arms.  
  
"Well, I can do magic tricks with my powers for money. Maybe even at the tavern."  
  
"The tavern is so dangerous. We're just kids-we are not allowed into the tavern at least until we are twelve. We should start small and work our way up," Vice suggested.  
  
"I guess you're right. Well, let's go to sleep. We'll leave bright and early for the market place tomorrow morning." Vixen rustled under the covers of her bed and moved over so that Vice could sleep in the bed with her. She wanted it to be like when she used to sleep with Ethan. Oh how she missed him. Who would not miss their family after being banished into an unknown world, with no one having hopes for survival?  
  
Vice and Vixen woke up early and crept quietly out of the underground head quarters, careful not to step on the sleeping children on the floor. They walked through the long, dark tunnel in silence until they reached the entrance to the head quarters. The large rock above them sensed, with the spell from Vixen of course, that one of its keepers wanted to emerge from the underground and it moved slowly, making a strange grating sound as it went.  
  
The two looked around quickly; the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon to their left. They made their way to the fountain, where they first met. It was not too busy yet, and it was not going to be as busy as the previous day, but they could possibly manage to bring some attention to themselves. After all, it was not every day that the townspeople of Dun Varna see a ten-year-old magic-using cat girl.  
  
Vice put a wooden bucket in front of Vixen's performing area and he himself sat down on the fountain's wall. Vix straightened her outfit to where nothing personal was showing and sighed heavily-she did not like being around a big crowd, but she had to do what was necessary for her clan. "Well, here goes," Vixen exclaimed as she prepared to start her simple glamours.  
  
Few started to gather. Mostly it was just children dragging their mothers and fathers by their hands. The children were all quiet and content watching the magical cat girl. The parents, finally having a bit of peace and quiet, gladly tipped with extra coins left over from their spending. Pretty soon there was a large crowd gathered around. Vice continued to watch his companion do her tricks, smiling all the while.  
  
The magic continued until sunset, when most of the crowd had filtered away. Vixen had been told by many of her onlookers that they would definitely be back for another showing of her talent.  
  
Vice and Vixen were greatly rewarded because the wooden bucket they had brought with them was now filled to the brim with gold coins of different values. It was so heavy for the young ones, that both of them had to help carry the bucket back to the head quarters together. But as they were walking back, Vixen saw a vision of Marlee carrying Ethan in his arms. She turned away from it, not wanting to break down in front of Vice.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked as if he read her thoughts.  
  
Vix looked up at Vice. "Nothing. Just thinking."  
  
"You know, we're going to be doing this almost everyday, you should get a real pretty outfit or something; to be more attractive to the audience."  
  
Vixen glanced down at her skimpy outfit. "Well, uh, I guess so. Are there any stores open this late?"  
  
"Yeah, that one over there." He pointed to the left.  
  
"Ok, I'll be right back then." Vixen grabbed a handful of coins to fill up the pouch at her side; she hoped it would be enough to buy a descent outfit. The cat girl ran to the clothing store.  
  
Vice sat down and leaned up against a wall, gazing at the glittering gold coins in the bucket. This much money would last them at least three months, since the Orphans never ate exquisite foods, just fruits and bread mostly. Every so often they would have something nice, like on holidays. They got their water from an underground well in a section of the head quarters.  
  
Vixen quickly shopped through the store, finally picking a purple gypsy- type dress with black lace. It was the cheapest dress she could find that actually had some class to it. She did not want to use the Orphan's allotted money for her own personal use.  
  
As she walked to the saleswoman to pay, she saw some discounted blouses. She glanced through them hastily and picked out one she knew would fit her newly established friend Nesta.  
  
Vixen paid the cashier and even had change left over. She walked out, carrying two bags. Putting the small amount of left over change in her money pouch, she stood next to the sitting Vice. "I'm done now."  
  
"Good, let's go home. I am bushed for tonight."  
  
When they got back to head quarters, Vixen strolled up to Nesta who was sitting alone at a table. "Here you go." Vixen handed Nesta the bag and in return, Nesta gave Vixen a weird look.  
  
"What's this?" Nesta asked.  
  
Vice walked into Vixen's room to retrieve something he had loaned her.  
  
"Open it and find out!" Vixen ordered playfully.  
  
Nesta opened the bag, her usually dark and dull eyes filled with brightness and excitement. She pulled out a long-sleeved green blouse and hugged Vixen as soon as she was able to put the article of clothing down. "Thank you!" she cried and immediately ran to put the garment on. It fit her perfectly and looked great on her. It was a much-needed improvement for the ragged, ankle-length shirt she had previously worn, by far.  
  
Vixen walked into her room, proud of herself for making someone happy like that. She did not know buying a simple blouse would have that big of a reaction. When she got into her room, she caught Vice staring at some sort of object. "Hey Vice."  
  
Vice quickly whipped himself back into reality and turned to face her.  
  
"What are you looking at?" she asked with her ears perked up.  
  
"Nothing." Vice had secretly been looking at a picture of a blonde-haired boy known to Vixen as Ethan. Vice did not know about him yet and he thought that maybe he was her boyfriend or something of the sort. "I was looking for that tool I lent you a few days ago." He paused. "Did you have a boyfriend or anything before you came here?"  
  
Vixen laughed. "Of course not! The only men in my life were Marlee, Ethan, and Luthien. Two of which were my brothers and the other my guard."  
  
"Oh, ok. I'm going now. I found what I came for." Vice grabbed the tool off the bed and ran out of the room without delay.  
  
"Strange," she whispered to herself. It was not like Vice to rush of like that. Maybe he just had something important to do.  
  
Her stomach growled. The cat girl put a finger to her chin and thought. She decided to go to the kitchen for the first time; she was curious to see what it had to offer to satisfy her hunger.  
  
The kitchen was filled with large barrels that mostly contained fruits and vegetables. Beside the barrels on the back wall was a counter with a sink of sorts. Next to that, and icebox, and to that, an oven. In the center of the kitchen was a medium-size wooden table used to either prepare or serve food on. There were cabinets filled with cereals, breads, and preserved foods, such as jellies. Two cabinets held the old and worn dishes, mostly cracked and chipped. The counter below had drawers for silverware and cooking utensils. Quite spiffy Vixen thought. She wondered how they managed to get an icebox, sink, and an oven. Maybe they had been thrown away and the Orphans took them and fixed the so they worked most of the time. By the parts on each machine, it appeared that they ran on steam, since the underground head quarters had a well inside.  
  
Vixen bent over and looked into a fruit barrel at least half her height, probably more. Vice walked in to see the sight of Vixen's legs and lower torso sticking out of the barrel and her tail sticking straight up in the air. This was a funny sight and he laughed, which startled Vixen because she thought she was alone, and it caused her to fall in the barrel completely, since it was only half-full.  
  
Vice walked over to the barrel and peered over the brim to see Vixen upside down on the fruit, with a pout on her face and crossed arms. "Are you ok?" Vice giggled, turning his head in an odd direction to match hers.  
  
Vixen cut him a glare with the blue-purple eyes. "Yes." Vice stretched his hand out towards hers and she grabbed it and he pulled her out gently.  
  
"I just hope you're a clean kitty," he laughed. "I would hate to have to get rid of all that fruit."  
  
Vixen growled at him once she was out and then more cautiously bent over into the barrel and picked up an orange. "Of course I'm a clean kitten, I am a prin-" She stopped. She did not want to reveal her true self and identity. She did not want to be treated any different for what she used to be. Vice laughed once more and they walked to her room.  
  
They chatted a while in her bed, at least until Vice fell asleep, whilst Vix was still wide awake.and she had an idea.  
  
Creeping out of the bed and out of the head quarters, she ran as hard as she could to the castle. Once she got there, she scaled the wall and her surroundings. The cat girl spied a colossal tree, an oak perhaps, tall enough for her to climb and be able to see over the castle's outer wall. She climbed it easily and found the best viewing spot.  
  
The night was a bit nippy and there came a light wind, making the leaves of the possible oak whisper. The full moon was halfway covered with transparent clouds. Few stars could be seen this cloudy night.  
  
Vix looked at her old home, so lonesome and cold, without the glorious glow it once held. Her young heart fluttered when she saw her brother Ethan, but he was sad, holding the sword she had given him. He was crying. He was not acting like his normal I-am-all-grown-up-and-can-do-anything self. This was his shadow, yet it what he really was, a young boy. "I will always be with you she said! It's not her fault she was taken away," he said, arguing with himself. He hated her because she was gone, but he loved her because she did not leave on her own accord, she was forced. It was not like she wanted to. "You will always be in my heart.." Ethan said quietly, wiping tears from his eyes. "My Angel, I'll find you one day."  
  
Vixen heard every word with her cat hearing. "Oh Ethan, if you only knew that I am here with you. But I cannot jeopardize going on castle grounds and getting caught. If they caught me, I would be banished from this town forever for disobeying the law. At least this way I can still see you," she whispered as if conversing with him. She reached towards him, but as she did, a twig broke and drew Ethan's attention. She jumped down and landed on all fours, as all cats do. Once down, she stood up and brushed the dirt off. She figured it was better if he did not see her because it would put too much pain in his young heart if he could not even speak with her and that she would have to part with him again. She knew it would be best if he just forgot her completely.  
  
Vixen made many more visits like that, but she never once saw Marlee DuCamin. She wished she had; she loved him as much as her brothers. She figured he had been ordered to guard the inside of the castle or baby Luthien.  
  
Over the next few months, Vixen did her magic tricks in the market place and made buckets of money, attracting new onlookers everyday, all except anyone she knew, like Marlee. He should have been able to relieve himself of castle grounds for occasional breaks, but still she never saw him. With all the money she raised, the Orphans had all the money they needed for food, clothing, and other supplies they needed. They actually had a descent life now since they did not have to scurry about for food.  
  
Three years passed quickly for Vixen and Vice. Vixen's bodily curves had developed more and she had grown taller. Vixen did not wear the ponytails on the top of her head anymore; she wore the down below where human ears would be. Her eyes were still most enthralling.  
  
Vice had matured also, growing more muscular and his eyes more serious. He wore his hair the same spiky way, with the exception of it being longer.  
  
Vixen had led the Orphans well, but over time, a rival group of rebellious orphans challenged her superiority. They were the Stealthers, somehow with the ability to go stealth, giving them their name. No one from the Orphans knew how they did it, not even the sorceress Vixen. There had been a few attacks on the Orphans and few injuries that Vixen had to heal.  
  
During the three years, Vixen had come to be close friends with Nesta and Marcell. She was also very close to Vice. The cat girl still cherished him as a brother, even though he was not an actual blood brother. She did not care much though. Vice had come accustomed to sleeping in the bed with Vixen at night when he was not at look out duty.  
  
They awoke early the current morning and Vixen sat up and stretched in bed. She rubbed her hand in Vice's hair; she could not mess it up any worse than it already was. She had gotten in the habit of keeping her silvery-white platinum hair down as she slept. Now it just came down below her shoulders.  
  
She got up out of the bed, accidentally waking Vice. "What are you doing?" he asked, brushing the sleepiness from the sand man away from his eyes.  
  
"I have an idea." Vixen dug deep in the trunk of the end of her bed and retrieved a red-velvet dress that had trims of white. It was a two-piece: a corset top and a long, flowing skirt. She had secretly purchased a few months earlier and had never worn it.  
  
"What's that for?" Vice asked.  
  
"I'm old enough now. If I dance at the tavern, we might receive more tips."  
  
Vice was hesitant about going to the bar. "Why the bar? We're doing fine in the market place!"  
  
"Where else would I get more money for us? Men love to see young and innocent women all the time according to what I've heard, and I am very young and innocent." Vixen smiled.  
  
"Yeah, right!" Vice disagreed sarcastically.  
  
Vixen ran behind a shade and changed into the red-velvet dress with the white trim. Conveniently, the corset top tied in the front, so she did not need help. She made the final adjustments to the skirt and stepped out from behind the curtain.  
  
Vice's eyes widened as he was hypnotized by her beauty immediately. He had seen her in dresses before, but this one was the most stunning one on her. She herself was beautiful enough, he thought.  
  
Vixen strolled over to the vanity and brushed her hair; she tried to make it have more volume and fluffiness. Her body caught the shadows as she twirled around in a circle, then she stopped and looked at the almost drooling Vice. "What do you think?" she asked with a smile.  
  
Vice shook his head to get out of the daze. "It looks wonderful on you."  
  
"Well, let's head to the bar. It's about noon now, so it should be full of guards and soldiers on a lunch break." She turned away for a moment. "Maybe Marlee will be there," she said under her breath.  
  
Vice could see her expressive reflection in the mirror. He stood up and put that same hand that had startled her so much before, at their first meeting, on her shoulder to silently comfort her. "Let's go then."  
  
Vixen looked wishfully back at the vanity once more then followed Vice out of the room.  
  
All of the Orphans smiled at the thirteen-year-old cat girl as she walked out of the underground home, for they had never seen her in a dress as pretty as that. "She's very beautiful," Marcell complemented her. She was eight now and her curly, red hair went down to her shoulders.  
  
Nesta nodded in agreement. She was currently eleven and a half, but still looked as she did when she was a bit younger.  
  
When the two youngsters entered the tavern, they went straight to the bartender, who was wiping out a dirty mug for cleaning. He smiled when the two approached him. Vixen stepped forward taking the lead in the situation. "What can I do for you little missy?" he asked politely.  
  
Vixen looked around. She only recognized one familiar face.Veni. He was sitting next to his grim-faced companion he met three years ago. She focused herself. She was here for a reason and she had to follow up with it no matter who was here. "I was wondering if I could perform on that stage over there. Just dancing. You wouldn't have to pay me. The money I make is well enough. See, I need to feed my brother and myself." She put an arm around Vice and held him close. He allowed it happily; he was honored at being called her brother because he knew how much that they meant to her.  
  
The bartender looked at the pre-teen cat girl. His left eyebrow lowered as he examined her. "You remind me of someone." He thought for a moment. "Ah, yes. Gharis' daughter a few years back. She was kidnapped and killed though. Rumors had it she was evil or somethin'. I don't believe a word of it. All of the guards would come in here and tell stories and show a few pictures of their little adventures they had with the little princess. They said there wasn't a nicer child in the world. She was never let out of the castle though, none of the children were, so she played and learned to swordfight to occupy her time."  
  
Vixen was stung. So that was what the rumors were about her. "I see. So can I dance tonight sir?"  
  
"Hmm.I don't see why not. It might attract me some customers."  
  
"Thank you sir," Vice chimed in.  
  
"Go ahead and get up there while I get the band started."  
  
Vixen nodded at Vice and ran up to the stage, taking her position. Vice sat at a table next to the stage, being her bodyguard and all. All of the men, however, turned their attention to the innocent cat girl on stage.  
  
The music started and she let her movements flow freely. She reached up towards the ceiling and then down low. She turned rhythmically and kicked up high. Her beautiful red and white-laced dress flowed beautifully through the air, as if a spirit was making it do so.  
  
Most of the men were clapping and smiling, enjoying the simple entertainment, except for two. Veni and Rue. The two grim figures glanced a single time at the dancing girl. "That little bitch! I can't believe she survived this long," Rue exclaimed.  
  
"Calm down man! Someone will hear you. She's smarter than she should be for her age. If she sees you and senses your emotion, she'll figure out we had something to do with her banishment. On the brighter side, at least she is not trying to go back into the castle," Veni pointed out.  
  
The two turned back to each other and continued to drink.  
  
Vixen danced cheerfully around the pub, hoping to gather more tips. She tried to pay no attention to the two banishers. Vice knew she was having fun and he was content.  
  
She danced until she could not dance any longer that night and curtsied, thanking for the audience for watching. Coins flew to the floor and most of the men departed, already late for their evening shifts.  
  
The two orphans walked over to the counter after picking up the coins from the stage and floor. "Do we owe you any?" Vice asked, pouring the coins to a backpack he had brought.  
  
"No. I have gotten so much business this night; you've earned your worth."  
  
Vixen was not paying any attention to her friend and the bartender; she was using her excellent cat hearing to listen to Veni and Rue's conversation.  
  
"Was it hard to get the whore banished?" Rue asked. He had heard all of this before, but he loved rolling around in their triumph.  
  
"Not really, Rue. It was just a time-consuming process. That's all. Gharis was easily convinced after breaking him down, bit by bit."  
  
Vixen's eyes went wide. "You damn bastards!" she yelled at the two dismal ones. The bar went silent, so silent, a pin drop could be heard. Everyone turned towards her. "You planned to get me banished all that time? I was forced to leave my brothers and Marlee because of you! And you call me a whore? I have never even thought about breeding!"  
  
Vice was stunned at her ferociousness towards them and the tone in which she spoke. It was like she was a totally different person now-not the girl he knew.  
  
"She's Gharis' daughter? The princess?" the bartender questioned. He was risking even questioning anything around Veni. If the guard so desired, he could snap the bartender's neck or behead him at any moment, without question or hesitation.  
  
"Yes. So it is you. I gladly say that we are the cause for your banishment. He had to be rid of your wretchedness so I could break him and make him weak," Veni admitted.  
  
Vixen fiercely jumped on the guard, scratching, punching, and biting him. "Vixen!" Vice yelled and he tried to run to her. The bartender grabbed the collar of his vest before he could get anywhere.  
  
"No child. Do not interfere. I know she's important to ye, but them men are dangerous."  
  
Rue pulled the fiercely angered girl off of Veni and restrained her in his grasp. Veni held his hand to his cheek to stop a deep cut from bleeding. "You scratched my face you bitch!" Veni punched the girl and nearly broke her face.  
  
"Get out! As the owner of this establishment, I order it!" The bartender stood up for the girl.  
  
"You order me?" Veni laughed. "You even look at me wrong, bartender, and I can snap you like a twig!"  
  
Vixen spit on Veni's face when he returned his gaze to hers. He smiled an insane smile. "Careful, she spits, Rue," he mocked her. He walked closer to her, up to her face. Suddenly he ripped her beautiful red velvet dress with the white trim, exposing her underclothes that poorly covered her body. "How innocent. So pure, still fresh." Veni smirked and lunged for her, touching her in places that should never have been touched at her age.  
  
Vixen could not move nor scream. She wondered why none of the guards or men in the tavern was trying to help her. She knew it would be a big risk if they did, a risk of their lives, so she left it at that. She would never hold anything against the true guards from her old home. They were all just sitting there, as if they were afraid to interfere. It was almost as if Veni was the leader and they had no authority over him like they used to  
  
"Release her!" the bartender yelled with rage.  
  
Rue looked at the bartender. They had enough fun that night. It was time for them to take their leave. "Fine," Rue agreed. "But you watch your back. We'll be watching you." He released his grip on Vixen and she fell to the floor with a thud: bleeding, bruised, ravaged, and half-naked.  
  
Vice ran to her side as soon as he was able too, trying to cover as much of her up as possible with his vest. "Are you all right?"  
  
Veni and Rue threw their mugs at the two on the floor and they shattered, both children getting nicks and cuts from the shards that flew up from the floor. The two men left the hurt children to fend on their own.  
  
Vixen stumbled to gain footage and stood up, clutching her right arm; it was bruised and swelling from Rue's grasp. "Those damn bastards! I'll kill'em!" she screamed in fury, tears streaming down her face from both rage and sadness.  
  
A few of the men who were still at the bar had come to check on the little girl. One was even kind enough to give her his cape of dark blue velvet with golden tassels at the end of the fabric. Vice had his arms around her the whole time, calming her down. "I'm really sorry miss," the bartender expressed his condolences. "Maybe you should leave and not come back to this bar for a while. Of course, no offense meant and all. I liked your performance, but he is a regular customer and I wouldn't want to see you get hurt anymore, Princess. He is the leader of the troops here now. He's got more authority than he's ever had and I'm afraid he'd use it the wrong way against you."  
  
Vixen locked eyes with the bartender. He showed so much respect to her even though she was a banished princess and she was so young. "Yes. Thank you for letting me dance this once. I learned a lesson. I'll be fine. Let's go Vice." Vixen pulled Vice's arm and he carefully supported her s the walked out of the bar and towards the fountain to wash Vixen's wounds.  
  
There was a cold chill in the air and the two sat close together on the fountain. Vixen ripped some of the remaining material from her once beautiful dress and began to dip it in the water when Vice tenderly pulled it out of her hands and instead, he dipped it into the water. He then gently dabbed the wet, cool piece of cloth on her face, removing almost all of the dried blood from her beating. She winced at every touch, but he soon was finished. "Thank you, Vice," she said softly.  
  
"You're welcome." He paused. "Did you really mean what you said before about me being your brother?"  
  
"In many ways. You are so close to me, almost as close as Ethan was. Poor Luthien never got the chance to play with us." She slowly arose from the fountain and took one step forward, with a limp. "Let's go home now." Vixen did not want to discuss her brothers now. Luthien would already be three now, she realized. Vice left it at that.  
  
They walked in silence to the head quarters.  
  
Marcell ran up to the ragged Vixen as soon as they entered. "What happened?" Everyone who was in the main room of the head quarters stared at the entering duo in silence.  
  
Vixen bent down to her red-haired friend. "Nothing. I just ripped my dress as you can see. That's all." She forced a smile. "I'm tired and I am going straight to bed. Good night." She walked to her room and took the remnants of her dress off and replaced them back into the bottom of the trunk at the end of her bed. The cat girl looked at her battered reflection in the hand held mirror she had kept on her vanity. Troubled, she sighed and replaced it on the vanity and laid down in her bed. Bare as the night is dark, she was, releasing all tension from her body.if it was at all possible. Fully exhausted, she fell to sleep.  
  
Meanwhile, Marcell and Vice had sat down at a table. "I'm really glad you found her, Vice," Marcell said cheerfully.  
  
He paused. "I'm glad too. She's been a great help to us all." Vice looked around to all of the other orphans in the room. He placed his hand on Marcell's shoulder. "I'm going to bed now." He got up and walked tiredly to Vixen's room and opened the door. Seeing her sleeping in the nude, he quickly reversed his tracks and walked to another spare room at the end of the hallway and slept.  
  
"I wonder what's going to happen with those two." Marcell said softly.  
  
Later on that night, Vixen woke up and decided that she would find comfort in seeing her brothers from the tree of possible oak. She dressed and goes out of the head quarters.  
  
As she walked in the dark towards the tree, a stray mutt ran in front of her, chasing a stray cat. "Watch it Dog!" she yelled. The dog pauses, looks at her strangely, and then continues on his chase for the cat. "I'm sorry," she apologizes to herself. She did not mean to be that crude to the animal.  
  
As usual, once she reached the tree, she jumped up to a good viewing branch. Peering over the castle walls in the night, she spied her brothers in the courtyard. They were weeping. "What's wrong?" she asked them secretly. The cat girl knew she could not go down there herself. So she just sat and wondered, admiring how much young Luthien had grown. They seemed to be in great health, so what could be the problem?  
  
Worried about her brothers, Vixen sulked back to the underground lair. Quiet as a mouse, she entered, making her way cautiously to the room where Vice was not sleeping. She figured he slept in a different room that night. She slowly crawled into the bed and drifts off to the dream world-the only place she can truly be at peace with her life.  
  
Late the next morning, Vixen awoke and stretched. She flipped on her side and saw that Vice still had not shown up beside her in the bed. She crossed her arms at her chest and blew the hair out of her face.  
  
As she got out of bed, Vixen grabbed her hair ties and fixed her hair; she was still already dressed from last night's venture out. It seemed awfully quiet in the head quarters this morning. Before she went out of the room, she glanced in her beautiful hand held mirror to make sure her hair was fixed properly. She really did not care how she looked, but she was a leader and she had to present her self properly.  
  
Before she turned the handle on the door there was a loud and almost urgent knock at the door. This of course startled the banished princess and she jumped back almost a foot.  
  
Vixen gathered her footing and breath and stood up right. "Come in," she said willingly.  
  
Vice entered the room, his head lowered. He was obviously sad about something.  
  
"Vice, you know you don't have to knock!" Vixen backed away from the doorway, mirror still in hand; she had forgotten to put it down.  
  
Vice sighed.  
  
"What's wrong Vice? Did I do something? Why is everyone being so bloody quiet today? It's just not normal for a bunch of kids to be so silent." Vixen looked at Vice, the silver mirror in her grasp, but at her side.  
  
Vice kept his eyes to the floor. "All the townspeople are sad this day."  
  
"Why?" Vixen's ears perked up and her tail twitched.  
  
"Sudden news. Queen Nazzara has come down with a deadly illness and has died in her sleep last night. Today is the day of mourning."  
  
Everything, every aspect about Vixen went limp and numb. She dropped her precious mirror, which shattered once it crashed against the floor. Her whole self started to tremble.  
  
Vice knew some about Vixen, but he was not absolutely clear on her origins. He has no idea she was Nazzara's daughter-after all, even the bartender said the princess was kidnapped and killed so he figured that she might have been a slave or maid to the real princess. Vixen had always told him that when she could, she would tell him her whole story, but only when the time came.  
  
"NO! It cannot be true! I won't believe it!" she cried. Vixen ran out of the room crying a waterfall of tears. She was not to be seen in the head quarters for the rest of the day.  
  
Vice tried to go after her, but she was way too fast. Marcell, Nesta, and the rest of the orphans in the main room saw Vixen run out weeping, so Marcell ran up to Vice, concerned of her leader, and also friend's, well- being. "What is wrong with her? Did you do something?" she asked Vice. He was known to be a bit of a troublemaker. Nesta, casually and quietly as usual, walked up to the conversation and stood behind Marcell.  
  
"I don't know. All I said was about the Queen. Rest her kind soul in the heavens. Maybe she had a likin' for the Queen?" Vice suggested.  
  
Hours passed and it grew dark and cold and Vixen was still lamenting at her tree. She was peeping through the poorly lighted windows at her brothers. "I.I never got to say good-bye," she said through breaks in her sobs. "Mother.MOM!" She wiped her eyes and looked at the few stars that were in the cloudy sky. She knew her mother was one of them now. Queen Nazzara's beauty surpassing any she had known, so the queen must have been the most beautiful star in the sky-the one closest to the moon. Twinkling and sparkling, it was, almost as if it were alive. "I miss you."  
  
"It's all right Vix," a familiar voice said.  
  
Vixen turned around quickly; she almost fell out of the tree. "Who's there?"  
  
"It's just me." The mystery guest crawled up to the branch she was sitting on.  
  
"Vice! What.what are you doing here?"  
  
"Helping you."  
  
Vixen sighed sadly. She figured that she had better come clean with her whole story now. "See those two boys through that window there?" She pointed.  
  
"Yeah, what about them?"  
  
"They're my brothers. Ethan's the taller one because he's older. Luthien is the younger, shorter one."  
  
"I see so Ethan was the boy in that picture!" Vice mumbled to himself.  
  
"What?" Vixen asked.  
  
"Nothing." Vice quickly shut his mouth before he got himself into trouble.  
  
Vixen fiddled with her fingers and gloves. "I don't know if you know this or if you've figured this out yet, but I am Princess Celine.Ever since I was banished from the castle, I've come here to place my eyes upon my brothers and family, since I can't go back to the castle. My mother never came out of the castle though. So I never saw her before she died. She used to walk around the castle halls reading to herself. That may be why I never saw her. Sometimes she'd come out to the garden during the day, but that was the only time."  
  
"I understand now. I am truly sorry for your loss. We all loved her, even us orphans because she was fair and true-a kind spirit she was," Vice commented.  
  
"Uh huh. That she was."  
  
The two leaned against each other for comfort.  
  
An hour passed in an uncomfortable silence only broken by quick and sudden outbursts of sobs.  
  
"Vice, I have to go now," Vixen said suddenly, wiping any excess tears from her face.  
  
"Sure, we can go home now," Vice agreed, not understanding what she truly meant.  
  
"No, I mean I have to leave this city." She stiffened up. "My mother died last night and I was nothing. My brothers think I'm dead. My father has betrayed me."  
  
"What exactly are you getting at?"  
  
"I want to leave and become something-in honor of my mother. A great warrior, a scholar, anything! Once that is done, I can come back for you and the Orphans.and my brothers."  
  
"That's not necessary."  
  
"What? What is not necessary?"  
  
"I'm goin' with you."  
  
Vixen looked at him with her head cocked to the side. Her eyes were filled with curiosity. "Why? Your place is here, with the Orphans. And.and you would have a better chance of you getting yourself killed or something with me!" she argued.  
  
"Like you won't have the same chances I will!" Vice said heartily. "Look, you're the only person I know that I've ever allowed to get this close to me. I'm not going to loose that bond now, not ever! You understand? Besides, you might spill my secrets or something!" He crossed his arms firmly.  
  
Vixen sat back shocked. She thought a moment. It would be hard to leave another loved one. The cat girl looked down to her swishing tail and then to the almost starless sky. "Vice, I-I don't know. I want to.but then."  
  
"Then it's settled. Let's get back to head quarters and get our materials ready for departure. We'll leave in the morning, before the gang wakes up."  
  
"I'll write a note I suppose. I've got to think of someone to replace me. There has to be a new leader," Vixen said.  
  
"You know what's best!" Vice paused. "You know, I didn't think I'd ever leave this place, especially this early." He jumped down from the tree and landed like an expert on his feet.  
  
"I know. I hope my family will be all right. But I will be back for them. I won't leave them forever."  
  
For the last time, they walked back to head quarters. Some of the children were still awake, waiting up for Vixen.  
  
Vice went and snuk a bag, packed ahead for the journey, into Vixen's room. Vixen packed a bag as well, making sure that the family photo she stole was in the bag.  
  
Vice lays down in her bed and tried to sleep, but to no avail, as Vixen wrote their farewell note by candlelight:  
  
To All: I am sorry about this, truly I am. After Queen Nazzara, my mother, died, I realized I had to become something worthwhile-if that makes any sense at all. Vice insisted that he come with me. You must know I tried to get him to stay, but you know how stubborn he is. We will miss you terribly and hope to see you all again soon in the future. I did enjoy staying with you. I shall appoint Nesta as your new leader and my dear Marcell as co-leader. Take care of them all, girls! I know you'll make me proud. Love always and forever, Princess Celine and Vice XOXO PS) I finally told you who I used to be.  
  
She ended her writing with a deep and heavy sigh. Vixen folded the letter up and placed it on her vanity. She sulked over to the bed and laid down next to Vice. "Deja Vu isn't working for me all that well." She laughed. "This is almost what happened with me and my brother, except this time I'm leaving willingly." She looked at Vice. "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
Vice turned on his side and looked at her straight in the eyes. He ran his fingers through his green spiky hair. "After all we've been through together? I'm not going to waste it! I want to be with you forever. If I didn't, I wouldn't have volunteered, now would I?"  
  
"I guess not. All right. But don't forget that you volunteered. Now let's try to get some sleep. We have to leave bright and early tomorrow prior to anyone waking up. We'll buy any other essential provisions on the way out of Dun Varna." Vixen got under the covers and started to purr, but she did not know why. She was sad, why would a cat purr when it is sad? Maybe in truth, she did not want to go on her adventure alone and she really did want Vice to go with her. Slowly, very slowly, she fell into sleep as Vice petted her to calm himself down. He would surely miss this place. It was where he had lived most of his young life. But there was something special about his feline friend that his heart told him so, and he decided he would follow it.  
  
The next morning, after making sure everything was packed, they headed out before daybreak, leaving the note on the vanity. The two took one last look at the main room, sighed, and left. While walking out, they were silent, thinking of all the people they would miss.  
  
Months pass slowly and the two stay in the forests outside of Dun Varna, only going into the city to get necessary supplies, and even then, they rarely did that. They did not want to risk seeing any of the Orphans for they would both want to go back home. They slept in the big oak trees and hunted in the forest for their food, becoming quite skilled hunters each day. They often found non-poisonous berries to eat as well. All of the water on the Isle of Bedwydrin was fresh and clean, so they could drink right from the rivers and streams.  
  
Vixen and Vice even started growing tans from being outside so much. They used to be really pale from being in an underground lair all the time. They often used paints made with dyes from plants and berries to mask them in camouflaging markings. Of course, Vixen used tiger stripes to camouflage herself. Vice used a different pattern each day. It just depended on his mood.  
  
One morning, the two once-again outsiders were out hunting for breakfast when they came to a clearing with a lake. "Oh look Vice! A huge buck! That would last us a couple of weeks if we could get it!" Vixen exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, I could make myself a new vest for the upcoming winter with its skin and fur!"  
  
Vixen moaned quietly and gently put her hand to her forehead to steady herself.  
  
Vice looked at her. "You ok? You don't look so hot," Vice stated.  
  
"I'm all right. I just got dizzy for a moment. I think it's this heat."  
  
"Ok. I was just making sure. Are you still up for the hunt? After all, it's your turn to hunt."  
  
Vixen drew her makeshift bow and arrow set and looked smugly at Vice. "You bet! I need the exercise anyway. I haven't made a good kill in a few days." She stood up and crept slowly forward. "I'll be right back.with that kill. You stay here."  
  
Vixen quietly stalked the clueless animal as Vice casually stayed behind. Quiet as a mouse the cat girl crept until she was in the bush right next to the beast. Ever so silently, she drew an arrow from her makeshift quiver. Carefully, she aimed. A bird of sorts chirped and caught the deer's attention. It looked away from her and the huntress realized this was her chance to make the kill. She pulled her arm back gracefully and let fly! The arrow was only made of a twig she had found, which she then later shaved and carved with Vice's knife.  
  
The arrow hit its mark and down the buck fell. Hard to the ground with a thud, it did. Vixen jumped up in celebration of her victory and gave the thumbs-up to Vice and he waved back. The successful huntress then walked and started to claim her prize when something backed into her. She guessed it was Vice coming to help her, but in turn, she saw on of the boys from The Stealthers staring her down. He was much taller than Vixen and Vice because all of the boys from The Stealthers were at least a couple of years older than any of The Orphans.  
  
"Well, well little kitty. Nice kill you got there," he chuckled.  
  
Vixen's ears lowered as she dropped her bow and quiver full of arrows and growled, baring her teeth. "Ramirez, go away!" she said in a voice very much unlike her own.  
  
"Poor kitty," he mocked, patting her on the head.  
  
The cat vixen snapped at him fiercely then. "I said go away. NOW!" she growled once more. She pulled out a hidden dagger from her waistband.  
  
"Someone is being a bad kitty," he continued to mock, his shoulder-length white hair almost glowing.  
  
Vice had just gathered his attention to the situation. He had been collecting berries from the bush he was behind. He put the cloth basket of berries down and ran out to his friend. "Leave us be! This is our kill, not yours! We did all the work!"  
  
"Oh really? Looked to me like your little kitty cat girlfriend of yours did it. Let's see what my company thinks about that?" Ramirez smirked, wrapping his arm around Vixen's neck and he pulled her to him as if he was going to give her a hard rubbing on her head.  
  
There was a rustle in the bushes and suddenly seven Stealthers appeared from the woods.  
  
"You brought friends? I wish I would've known and we could've had a party," Vixen snapped sarcastically as she got out of Ramirez's grasp.  
  
"What exactly are you doing provoking him like that? We are clearly outnumbered!" Vice whispered to Vixen.  
  
"We can handle these guys. They're nothing!" she replied confidently.  
  
"Oh, is that true?" Ramirez challenged her.  
  
Vice looked at Vixen and she winked at him. He smiled and gathered his wits. "Yes it is." He readied himself for the fight about to take place.  
  
The Stealther boys laughed insanely and then made a weird hand gesture, and then they were not there at all.  
  
"They've gone stealth! Should've figured they wouldn't fight out in the open," Vixen muttered. She tuned her ears up to the highest sensitivity they could go. Even though she could not physically see them, they still rustled leaves with their steps. And since she had better-than-human hearing, she could tell where they were located by that means.  
  
Vice was busy fighting off another Stealther as best as he could without seeing him. Vixen was stabbing and slashing every which way. She knew she was hitting something because there was blood on the dagger she was using.  
  
Vixen's ears detected something, so she turned in the direction the strange sound was coming from. Her great cat-like eyes noticed a weird, almost wavy- like look in the air. "It must be one of them," she whispered. "Vice, to your right! Strike hard!"  
  
Vice turned to the right and focused all of his energy into one hit and punched as hard as he could. That single punch managed to disengage the Stealther boy's stealthiness. He collapsed to the ground as Vice continued to fight and beat him wildly.  
  
A wind rushed by Vix. She had been standing, channeling all her power into one spell and she was getting ready to let it release. "Vice, get in the woods for cover!" she warned.  
  
Vice nodded his head. In understanding her warning, he ran into the brush and ducked down behind a boulder almost three times his height. He knew how powerful her enchantments were.  
  
"Running away, huh? I thought you said you could handle us?" Ramirez joked, his voice warped by being in stealth.  
  
Vixen laughed a twisted, child-like laugh and looked to the ground. Her long white bangs covered her eyes, but underneath them, her eyes had changed into a terrifying empty blackness as her powers began to release. An unnatural, blue luminosity encircled Vixen as she chanted words unknown to any current language.  
  
The group of Stealthers had finally decided to reveal themselves and now they were standing in front of Vixen, completely dumbfounded. "Aw, is Kitty angry?" Ramirez poked fun at her, laughing upwards towards the sky.  
  
Vixen reached her arms forward and started to hum. Almost instantly, a glittery, white shaft of light came from her palms and blasted the group of boys. The blast did not kill them, just disoriented them enough for her and Vice to escape, with the deer, to a high tree. Even though Vixen longed to kill Ramirez, she never had the heart to. He was still a child just as much as she was, and she had hopes that he would change his act.  
  
"That was fun!" Vice exclaimed as he started to skin the buck with his hand- made knife.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. I just don't understand why Ramirez insists on attacking us. We don't have anything he wants." She looked down to her chest. "Maybe it's because I'm the only other one in this country with white hair."  
  
"I don't know." Vice shrugged. "But that's good paint you used." He was looking at the dark red paints mixing with the darker browns and blacks, dripping down her torso.  
  
Vixen did not remember using red paint today. She touched the red paint and put it to her lips. She paused and her eyes widened. "That's blood."  
  
"Guess you got it from the deer. It is gushing like a fountain."  
  
"Yeah." Vixen said faintly and wobbled in the mass of branches in the tree.  
  
"Vix?"  
  
Without warning, Vixen fell down to the ground and landing so hard, a dirt cloud arose.  
  
"Vix!" Vice yelled as he completely forgot about the deer and jumped as quickly as he could from branch to branch, to he ground, and to his collapsed friend. He shook her carefully, trying to awaken her. "Wake up! Please!" He looked desperately all over her and right below her collarbone, above her heart, there was a stab wound.  
  
One of the Stealthers had stabbed her while she was channeling her energy and she never noticed it until she was done with the spell.  
  
"How could she not have spied a stab wound on her own body?" Vice asked himself. He looked around. No one would be around for a few miles. Dun Varna was at least ten miles away. They would never make it, at least not both of them. "God, what am I going to do?" Vice cried. He took off his old vest and patched it on the wound for pressure to stop the bleeding as much as he could. He then picked up the cat girl carefully and started to carry her down the old and rarely used pathway. "Don't ya have those healing powers or somethin'? Why ain't they working?" he questioned the unconscious cat girl. Tears were in his eyes.  
  
Vice stumbled for at least and hour or more through the forest and the sun was starting to set in a violet-pink sky. Still, Vixen's healing abilities had yet to kick in. He could not imagine why. The only thing he did understand is that if he did not find a place where someone could help her soon, Vixen would die of blood loss. His vest had only slowed the bleeding some, but it was still flowing out. They needed a professional to stop it fully.  
  
It was dark by the time the path started to get clearer, even though they were still in the woods. Vice's stomach was growling madly, but he could not stop, could not loose anymore time.  
  
Vice stumbled over something, but quickly regained his footing. Bricks. What were bricks doing in the middle of the forest? He followed the path of worn, reddish bricks and eventually they lead him to an extremely small shack of sorts, maybe big enough for two people to live in.  
  
The shack had a chimney blowing out smoke and yummy cooking smells. Vice's eyes lit up as he tried to run as fast as he could to the door of the cozy shack with Vixen, still unconscious, bouncing in his arms.  
  
"Hello? Anyone here? I need help! Someone, plea-" Vice was cut off when an old man, almost as worn as the bricks that he had walked on, opened the creaky door.  
  
"Yes, what is it son? What have you got there?" the old man asked, very concerned as to why someone would be visiting him out here in the woods.  
  
"My friend, she's hurt. Can you help her? Please?"  
  
"Of course, I can try. Bring her in and sit her on one of the beds. I'm sure Diago won't mind." He paused. "No, he won't. I use to be a doctor for the King of Dun Varna, lad."  
  
Vice ran and placed Vixen on the straw bed. The interior of the shack was also worn and plain, but it was homey-like. "Maybe you should go and get some berries or something while I work. I am not the best with company and patients at the same time."  
  
"Ok. I won't stay long though." Vice paused for a moment. "Who's Diago?"  
  
"Oh. He's my grandson and my trusted assistant. He stays here a lot with me. Just to keep an old man company, you see. Then he started liking doctoring and medical stuff from all the books I have collected over time. He should be back anytime now. He's got short, dark brown hair and some muscles." The old man walked around the room as he spoke, gathering herbs and anything else that was necessary. "I should have everything here."  
  
"Ok then. I'll be out there if you need me. Just yell. I'm not strayin' too far from my friend here. And don't ya be tryin' anything if ya know what's good for ya!" He started towards the door. "Oh yeah! She has some weird healing powers, but they haven't kicked in yet. I don't know why though. Maybe it's because she hasn't been wounded in a very long time."  
  
"I see. Well, you get yourself outta here so I can work," the old man laughed.  
  
"Ok." Vice ran over to Vixen, kissed her on the forehead, and then ran out of the old man's home.  
  
"Well, little missy, let's see what we have to work with here." The doctor removed the vest and her top and took a gander at the wound. "Ah, looks to be a dagger wound here." He sniffed the air and smelled something strange in the girl's blood. He sorted through all of his memories of past experiences to identify the obscenity. "Ah, I remember now. The fatal Fever Flower. The poor child," he said sadly. "I should be able to fix the wound though." He gathered a mortar and grinded all of the herbs that he had collected together. He went to barrel in a corner of the room and took a few drops of water and out the drops in the mixture of herbs, making it into a thick paste. Then he dabbed a clean rag in the water, squeezed it gently to get any excess water out, then he walked back to the girl.  
  
The doctor started to clean the dried blood off the girl's torso with the rag. "You look a bit familiar, little one," he commented. Once he had cleaned the wound, he softly pressed the paste of herbs to the dagger wound. Then he looked under the cot and grabbed a few clean spare bandages and wrapped up the wound tightly, making sure to keep the pressure on it to stop the bleeding completely.  
  
There was a knock at the door. A tall young man entered with short, dark brown hair with eyes to match. He had a traveling bag over his shoulder. "Hey grandpa! What have you been-" He saw the girl lying on the bed an walked over to her. "What's this girl doing here?"  
  
"A young boy a few years younger than yourself brought her here. Seems she had a large stab wound in her chest. She was also poisoned by the Fever Flower, but I have neutralized it so that now it won't spread. Curing it may be hard to do, since it's only been cured maybe five times."  
  
"I see. So do you know her name?" the man asked.  
  
"Sure don't. Guess I didn't think to ask. I am just an old man after all." The doctor stood over Vixen amazed. "The mixture should have at least made her body temperature go back to normal at the least. I'm absolutely sure of that. I have not lost my touch even with old age. So why isn't the medicine working right?" It had always worked for the elder man in the past, but it seemed like her fever was getting worse even though the poison was not spreading.  
  
Suddenly, there was another knock at the door. Vice entered with a ragbag full of raspberries and he dropped them on the table. "Who are you?" he asked the new man.  
  
"I take it you are this girl's friend?" the man asked.  
  
"I asked you a question!" Vice snapped.  
  
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down lad! This is my grandson Diago. I told you about him earlier."  
  
Vice stopped and cooled himself down. He did not expect the man's grandson to be so young. "Oh. How is Vix then?" Vice received a concerned look from the grandfather as he noticed her bandaged torso and the smell of freshly mashed herbs.  
  
"Give her a day or so for the medicine to take effect. She was poisoned as well and I've neutralized it so it won't spread." The doctor hoped the medicine would work because he would feel guilty loosing this girl to death.  
  
"Is it ok for us to stay that long?" Vice asked. He did not want to invade their privacy.  
  
The old man looked around. "Well, this place ain't too big, but it'll work for the next few days or so."  
  
"Ok. Thanks a lot. By the way, my name is Vice." He yawned and stuffed a few berries in his mouth. "It's late. I'm callin' it quits tonight. Good night."  
  
"Here." The old man took a blanket out from a hidden closet and tossed it to Vice. "Sleep well." The man then went to a darkened corner of the shack and curled up and soon he was snoring.  
  
Diago laid down on a cot across from the still motionless cat girl. This was his first ever contact with anyone other than his grandfather and his parents. He never thought any living being would look as she did-half feline, half human girl. He looked at her captivatingly. He had so many new thoughts in his mind and he pondered on them all until he fell to sleep.  
  
Vice had leaned up against Vixen's cot. It was not the most comfortable way to sleep, but he wanted to make sure Diago did not try anything. He did not trust him. Vice leaned his bead back on the cot and looked at his sick friend and sighed. Would she ever wake?  
  
The next day was long and torturous for Vice. The boy constantly paced back and forth in front of Vixen's makeshift bed, rarely leaving the cabin only to obtain fresh air.  
  
Diago sat at the table, amusing himself in a book of plants and herbs, sometimes laughing at the way Vice acted. He thought it was adorable. Never before had he seen such emotions from one person.  
  
The old man kept an eye on Vixen, but he was filled with grief. Her symptoms had not gotten any better still. At least her fever had gone down a couple of degrees. The medicine should have worked by now, or at least started to, but it had not. He decided to let Vice stay until the next morning, then he would make necessary arrangements in Dun Varna.  
  
The next morning, Vice awoke from his spot against Vixen's cot. The doctor was already awake and awaiting questions from Vice. He knew he would have to explain his tragic plans to the spiky, green-haired boy about his young feline friend.  
  
"She's not any better is she?" Vice asked, looking at the doctor in such a way, it was as if he already knew the answer.  
  
"I'm afraid I've done everything I could do. I am sorry," the old man replied sadly.  
  
Diago had gone out in the forest for a while at his grandfather's request.  
  
"She's going to die?" Vice cried as he was cradling Vixen's hand in his, her breathing was shallow.  
  
The grandfather turned his back to the demolished boy. "I'll make the funeral preparations in town. She won't go in pain, I promise you that."  
  
Vice stood and wiped a tear from his cheek. He moved the white bangs from Vixen's face so he could see her closed eyes. He knew he would never see those captivating blue-purple eyes again. "Fine. So be it." He knelt down to Vixen. "I will have your revenge, I swear! Good-bye my Vixen," he whispered. He kissed her then turned to the old doctor. "Thank you for all you have done for us both. I'll be on my way now. Take good care of the rest of her life, however long that may be."  
  
"You aren't going to stay for the funeral?" the old man questioned.  
  
"It.it would be too hard for me. It would not be proper for me to go to a princess's funeral. I will take my leave now." Vice headed towards the door.  
  
"Princess?" The man paused. He reached down once again under the bed and pulled out a knapsack. It was old and dirty, but what was inside was fresh and new. He tossed it to Vice. "Here, take it. Wherever you may go, it may come in useful. It has some medicines in it and some other supplies."  
  
Vice strapped the bag onto his back and nodded. "Thank you once more. You are very kind. I just don't understand it all."  
  
"What? What don't you understand?"  
  
"She has a healing ability like I said before, but it isn't working. I guess she did use it all up."  
  
"I don't know what to tell you there. I don't deal much with magics and sorcery."  
  
"Well, I'll be on my way. I will avenge her death," Vice exclaimed, very confident in himself. He walked out of the shack on his own journey now, without his long-time friend, Vixen, by his side. He felt empty, alone, and incomplete. She had always filled the empty part in him and kept him company. Never again would he ever find anyone to replace that, never.  
  
"I hope you find your way," the old man whispered to himself. He went over to Vixen and put his hand on her forehead. Her temperature had returned to normal, but she was still very bad off. "You poor thing." Then it hit him. "The Princess? Celine? Gharis' first child?" He stood in shock. "How could I have not realized this?" Even though he had finally mad the astonishing discovery of Vixen's true background, there was still nothing he could do. He would just have to wait until her still-young life force faded.  
  
Later that night when Diago had finally returned, all was quiet at the little shack. "Where's that boy? Vice I think it was," Diago asked, breaking the silence. He was placing all of the stuff he picked up while he was out on the table.  
  
The old man sat at the table with his face buried in his hands. "He left."  
  
"Without this girl of his?"  
  
"She's dying! He didn't want to stick around for the funeral. Said it wasn't fit for him to go to a princess's funeral."  
  
"Oh." Diago was quiet for a moment, watching the cat girl patiently. "Princess? What do you mean exactly by that?"  
  
"She is Princess Celine, first born of King Gharis. Rumors were flying around that she had been kidnapped and later killed. But here she is, dying in my shack!" The doctor felt terribly guilty.  
  
"Grandpa, there was nothing more you could have done." Diago put his hand comfortingly on his grandfather's shoulder. "Why don't we just see what happens. You always told me to never loose hope."  
  
The man sighed. "I guess you're right. I did teach you well didn't I?" he laughed, patting his grandson's hand.  
  
"You sure did. Now I brought home some food. But how exactly are we going to feed her? We can't just let her starve."  
  
"I suppose like a mother bird would: crush up some food into a mush and gently slide it down her throat."  
  
"Sounds like a plan."  
  
Two weeks passed like that, Vixen being fed like a baby bird, yet the soul inside of her was still holding on dearly, not wanting to die out.  
  
On the last day of the two weeks, grandfather and grandson were at the small table eating. They had just finished feeding their patient. It was very quiet now. They had not heard from Vice, so they knew that he would never come back to them.  
  
Something stirred in the house. The old man nearly fell from his chair; he had gotten used to the quietness.  
  
"What was that?" asked Diago as he was tearing himself a piece of bread.  
  
"Don't know. Guess it was a squirrel or something. But it is getting late; the sun is setting."  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"What?" both the old man and Diago asked at the same time. They looked around and eventually rested their eyes upon Vixen. She was moving!  
  
Vixen sat up and moved her hand to her wound that had healed, thanks to the medicine. She saw that the only thing covering her were white bandages, so she quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to her chin and backed against the wall.  
  
"You're alive?" The old man's mouth was wide open. She should have died either that night or the night after, according to his calculations. Diago sat a watched the skittish girl.  
  
"VICE!" she yelled, putting her hands to the sides of her head. "Where's Vice? Who are you?"  
  
"Princess Celine? Is it really true?" Diago asked, never meeting a princess before, let alone anyone else except for Vice.  
  
"Uh." A flash of inner rage flashed in her eyes, then cooled. "Yes. How do you know that? Besides, I no longer belong there."  
  
"I was a personal doctor for your father at the castle," the grandfather said.  
  
"He is no longer my father."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," the old man replied sadly.  
  
"Where's Vice? What did you do to him?" Vixen asked weakly. She wrapped the blanket around her like a towel and tried to stand up, using the table for balance. Diago walked over and gave her his arm to use for support.  
  
"I look real tough don't I?" she laughed. The two men laughed as well. "Where's Vice?" Vixen repeated for the third time.  
  
"Your friend Vice left a few weeks ago," Diago answered Vixen.  
  
"Weeks?" Vixen questioned.  
  
"Yes. Vice brought you here a couple of weeks ago. You had a nasty little stab wound over your heart, but we healed it. You were also poisoned by the Fever Flower. We tried to rid you completely of the poison and it didn't seem to be working until now." the elderly man explained.  
  
"To be honest, and no offense meant, but we thought you were going to die. He set out to avenge you."  
  
Flashes of memory were coming back to Vixen. The fight. "Do you know where?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I have to find him! I need to go now!"  
  
"No you don't little one." Diago grabbed her waist as she tried to walk away. "You see how dark it is outside?" Vixen did not reply. She just crossed her arms.  
  
"It's late and Diago's right. If you insist on leaving, wait until the morning."  
  
"But I need to find my friend. He might be in trouble!" Vixen whined.  
  
Diago set Vixen down on the cot and sat next to her. "We understand, but you need to give yourself a little time to fully recover. You've been unconscious all this time. You can leave in the morning."  
  
Vixen crossed her arms even more. "Humph, fine. I guess I'll stay for tonight, since you did help me out and all."  
  
"That's a good kitty." Diago smiled and scratched behind her ears.  
  
Vixen purred and shut her eyes, laid down in his lap, and slowly fell asleep, still purring.  
  
"I think you've made a new friend," the aged man chuckled. He was ecstatic that she had not passed on to death.  
  
Early the next morning, even before the two men had woken up, Vixen left the cabin, in her ragged shirt and all. She looked back to the cabin one last time. "Thank you both for your kindness. I dearly appreciate it. I need to find my friend now. Bye." No one listened to the cat girl's last farewell as she walked away.  
  
The weary cat girl walked a while. When she came to a lake, since no one was around, she decided to bathe. She did not think that her caretakers had washed her whole body while she slept in an unconscious slumber. It was not proper.  
  
Slowly she stripped out of her ravaged outfit and softly waded into the water.  
  
Meanwhile at the cabin, Diago and his grandfather had woken up. "Any sign of her?" the old man asked his grandson.  
  
"No. She's gone all right," Diago answered sadly.  
  
"Hmmm.I thought we told her to wait until the morning?"  
  
"It is morning Grandpa. You didn't say she had to wait until we woke up. I guess it was more convenient on her part to leave without good-byes because she's already lost one good friend."  
  
"Well, what about this little bundle of clothing and supplies? I didn't have time to gather them last night. They're little boy's clothes, but they are clean and not torn. Didn't you find her some what of a tomboy?"  
  
"Yeah, but still. How about I go out and see if I can find her? She shouldn't have gotten far; she's still weary from her recovery."  
  
The old man thought for a moment. "I suppose you could. I would go along with you to say my final good-byes to her, but these old bones just aren't what they used to be." The old man patted his legs.  
  
"All right," Diago said, gathering the clothes and backpack of supplies. "I'll be back soon, ok?"  
  
"Ok sonny. You be careful now, you hear me boy?"  
  
"Yes, Grandpa, I hear you." Diago walked out of the little cabin to find Vixen.  
  
Diago had learned to track things when he was younger and he was tracking Vixen pretty well until he cam near the lake. He heard splashing and spied her clothes, or what was left of them, hanging on some branches. He walked over and put his load of clothing and supplies at the base of the tree where the torn clothes hung, never once trying to peek at the bathing cat girl because he was a gentleman. "Good-bye little kitty. I hope we meet again," he whispered and then walked away desolately and back to his grandfather's house.  
  
Vixen had finally finished her bath about an hour after Diago had deposited the clothes without her knowledge of it. One thing about her though, she did not care how long she was in the water, she was not coming out unless she thought herself clean.  
  
She walked over to retrieve her worn clothes when she stumbled over the gifts left by Diago. She looked down and knew they were from her two friends. "Thank you." She smiled and put on the clothes at once. Then she peeked inside the bag. "Ooooh." she said, eyes full of curiousness. She knew all this stuff would come in handy. She put the backpack on and with her new boyish attire, that happened to suit her just fine, she began to walk.  
  
After hours of walking alone, Vixen finally reached the top of a hill at sunset. One side faced Dun Varna, the other, open territory. She stood there with her white hair blowing in the wind, the sunset causing her body to almost glow.  
  
Her journey had begun. She had been given a second chance, so she took it with a different stride, walking down the hillside opposite Dun Varna. 


End file.
